Women face special challenges when it comes to personal finance. A persistent gender pay gap and time out of the workforce caring for children or parents leave many women with lower lifetime earnings than men.
The average woman's retirement income is 70% of a man's, but must last longer, since women outlive men by an average of four to five years. Fortunately, there are a wealth of personal finance resources and tools for women, including the Budgetnista, Ellevest, Clever Girl Finance and HerMoney, which can help women overcome financial disadvantages.
Clarissa Explains Money
Money coach Clarissa Moore is a single mother of two who launched her business after paying off credit card debt of nearly $40,000 in just 16 months. Clarissa Explains Money aims to close the gender gap in financial literacy and help working women earn, manage and grow their money. In addition to a blog covering budgeting, saving, career, taxes, credit and real estate, Clarissa Explains Money offers a variety of financial calculators, a free financial plan, online financial courses and ebooks. Want to step it up a notch? Sign up for one-on-one financial coaching.
Clever Girl Finance
After saving $100,000 in three years on a salary of $54,000, certified financial educator Bola Sokunbi founded Clever Girl Finance to help other women stop living paycheck to paycheck and achieve financial independence. Educational articles cover everything from credit, debt, real estate, investing and budgeting to the racial wealth gap, minimalism and luxury fashion. More than 30 free online courses cover topics such as buying your first home, increasing your income stream, mastering student loans and getting out of debt. There are also podcasts, books, videos and a community of like-minded women.
Ellevest
"There is no such thing as ‘gender neutral' financial services or choices in an industry that was built by men, for men," states the Ellevest investing platform. Co-founded by Sallie Krawcheck, former CEO of Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney, Ellevest's goal-focused investment strategies are tailored for women's longer lifespans and lower incomes, using gender-specific salary curves to forecast how much you can invest over time. For $5 per month, Ellevest Plus members get an IRA and retirement planning assistance, a no-minimum investing account, free live workshops and a 30% discount on one-on-one coaching. Ellevest Executive, at $9 per month, ups that to five investing accounts and a 50% discount on live workshops. Members also have access to an online magazine, Instagram community, email courses and videos.
Healthy Rich
"No one goes broke from avocado toast," contends Healthy Rich founder Dana Miranda. Instead of depriving yourself in pursuit of financial wellness, Healthy Rich promotes developing a healthy relationship with money as the foundation for accomplishing your financial goals. This inclusive site casts a critical eye on "budget culture" such as the FIRE (Financial Independence/Retire Early) movement. Rather than prescribe one way to manage your money, Healthy Rich presents diverse perspectives from women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people so readers can discover what works for them. The blog and podcast are free; paid subscriptions ($7 per month) support the ad-free site and provide access to online courses.
HerMoney
Dubbed "your judgment-free zone for all things financial," HerMoney aims to level the playing field for financial confidence. CEO Jean Chatzky, financial editor of NBC's "Today" show and author of 11 books, shares learnings from decades reporting on the finance industry—namely, that finance isn't rocket science. Daily content, newsletters and podcasts cover topics including career, saving, budgeting, investing, insurance, real estate, retirement and more. You can also join investment club Investing Fixx for $39 per month or get a money makeover by taking the 8-week Finance Fixx course, which includes one-on-one coaching and small group learning, for $395.
The Millennial Money Woman
Fiona Smith was inspired to study personal finance after her grandparents lost their home and savings. Now a wealth and investment advisor, Smith launched The Millennial Money Woman to help others optimize their finances and build generational wealth. Whether you want to get out of debt or build a $1 million net worth, this site has plenty of advice. Blog topics include generating income, budgeting, debt and investing. You'll also find free resources such as budgeting templates.
Wealthy Single Mommy
You may be single, but "you're not in this alone," vows Wealthy Single Mommy founder Emma Johnson. Whether never-married, divorced, widowed, gay or straight, single moms will find a wealth of advice and resources here. Posts are factchecked and written by authors with top credentials from publications such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. (Sample posts include "12 Grants and 22+ Resources for Single Moms" and "The Cheapest Way to Get a Divorce.") Along with money, topics include dating, divorce, parenting and career. There are also free resources, a Facebook group and what Johnson claims is the world's biggest single-mom community.
WISER Women
Structural barriers such as gender pay disparity, time out of the workforce and lack of access to retirement benefits mean half of women ages 65 and up get most of their income from Social Security. The nonprofit Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) aims to change that by educating low- and middle-income women of all ages about saving for retirement with WISER Women. In addition to retirement planning, articles cover divorce, widowhood, caregiving, financial fraud, health and long-term care, saving and investing. WISER Women also features fact sheets, resource guides and newsletters that explain complex financial issues simply.
Women's Institute for Financial Education (WIFE.org)
Since 1988, the nonprofit WIFE has been educating women in how to gain financial independence. (Despite its acronym, the site's motto is "A man is not a financial plan.") WIFE's strong suit is its wealth of content on subjects including debt, investments, saving, budgets, taxes, divorce, widowhood, retirement, family finances and more. Seeking hands-on learning? Join or start a Money Club, where small groups meet regularly to learn money management skills with the help of an expert Money Guide.
Women Who Money
Dedicated to helping women build and protect their net worth, the Women Who Money site is packed with content on everything from saving, investing and estate planning to real estate, entrepreneurship and relationships. You'll also find directories of personal finance professionals; reviews of personal finance apps, books and other tools; and a community of women. Search articles by topic or based on your level of personal finance sophistication—100-Level (Novice), 200-Level (Intermediate) or 300-Level (Advanced). Sample "novice" topics include financial planning after college and a newlyweds' financial checklist; "advanced" topics include an introduction to day trading and self-directed IRAs.
The Budgetnista
Tiffany Aliche claims to have helped over 2 million women pay off hundreds of millions of dollars. Her Budgetnista blog covers topics including credit, debt, investing, retirement, budgeting, saving and more. (One downside: the blog isn't categorized or searchable, so you'll have to scroll to find topics you want.) The Budgetnista also offers free downloadable guides and checklists. You can pay $49.99 per month to join the Live Richer Academy and access over 100 financial courses, personal finance experts and a Facebook community.
Take Control of Your Financial Future
It's never too early—or too late—to start taking charge of your personal finances. One easy first step: Check your credit report for free to make sure it's current. Also consider signing up for Experian's free credit monitoring service. You'll get alerts that can help you keep an eye on your credit, no matter how busy you are.